Newsforce Offers Online News Publishers Specialty Ad Format to Offset “Remnant Revenue Gap”

White-label partner program rolls out to automate advertorial sales program, drive revenue for national, regional newspaper sites

La Jolla, CA (PRWEB) October 2, 2009 — It’s a constant dilemma for publishers on the Web — the "remnant revenue gap" that occurs when premium banner ad space goes unsold. News publishers now have a solution from Newsforce to help them fill the revenue gap, and with an advertising creative format that’s specifically designed for people immersed in reading their daily news on the internet.

Newsforce announces that it will now license its online advertorial platform to news publishers, to transform unsold premium banner ad inventory into advertorial inventory without any technical changes to the site. Newsforce works primarily with newspaper sites and broadcast news sites, but is also applicable as a solution for pure-play news sites, aggregators and vertical news sites.

Fluctuating audience patterns cause newspapers and news websites to frequently find themselves with unsold ad inventory that has to be liquidated quickly, in real-time. The outcome: valuable premium ad space often ends up at auction or on ad networks, where the likely selling price is as little as 25-cents per thousand impressions (CPM), far less than the $10+ CPM value that news publishers want and need to stay in business.

"We’re trying to help the news industry help itself in terms of monetizing their valuable properties and the trust they’ve built with news readers," said Newsforce CEO Vince Bianco. "The number of readers who access internet news keeps growing, over 350 million unique visitors on the top news sites, so the demand is there. We’d like to think that we’re helping to solve the puzzle of how to keep these high quality news organizations in business, by offering creative ideas that generate incremental revenue."

Newsforce advertorial units, or "storyboards," allow multiple advertisers to share the cost of premium ad space and to tell their branded stories alongside regular editorial stories. Semantic matching technology ensures that the headlines are contextually relevant. To ensure that there is no confusion to readers or brand damage to news properties, the units are clearly labeled as sponsored stories. Advertisers can run multiple stories simultaneously, and track reader interest to make adjustments to the storyline.

"Advertisers have always found value in buying advertorial," said Vince Bianco, CEO of Newsforce. "And print publishers typically offer advertorial products to fill that demand. On the internet, many news publishers sell microsites or special sponsored content sections, but the process is typically quite customized and labor intensive for both the publisher and the advertiser. What the Newsforce platform does is automate and standardize online advertorial for a news publisher, so that it’s more easily sold, deployed and measured."

About Newsforce, Inc.
Newsforce, Inc. invented a revenue engine software platform which automates serving and management of advertorial / sponsored content across premium national and regional online news publishers. Its publishing and sales partners represent over 500 premium news sites in the US. Newsforce is also a provider of search engine optimization tools specifically for article and press release SEO, including an optimization wizard and News Search Ranking Reports. Newsforce is a privately held company headquartered in La Jolla, CA. Information may be found at www.newsforce.com and www.newsforcenetwork.com.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/10/prweb2972274.htm

Dallas Marketing Executive Scott Baradell: Eight Happiness Lessons for PR People

Veteran corporate communications expert offers public relations professionals tips for career fulfillment.

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) October 2, 2009 — Too often, school curriculums and professional training programs focus on the tools people need to succeed, rather than those they need to be happy, says Scott Baradell, veteran Dallas marketing executive and president of the Idea Grove marketing and public relations agency. But career success doesn’t guarantee career fulfillment.

"I read a story sometime back on ‘happiness lessons’ that were being offered to schoolchildren in the U.K., and I was fascinated by the idea," Baradell says. "So I thought I’d offer a few happiness lessons for aspiring and early-career public relations professionals looking to build fulfilling careers."

Here are Baradell’s eight lessons for being happy as a PR person:

1. Always tell the truth — especially to yourself.
"That doesn’t mean you can’t represent a client that holds an opinion different from yours," Baradell explains. "It just means that you must present it as the client’s viewpoint, not your own. Too many PR practitioners cross this line without thinking about it."

2. Don’t work for companies or clients whose products or lobbying stances you detest.
"For example, my firm won’t work for a tobacco company, or a company that makes firearms, or one that trashes the environment. It’s not worth the ulcer to us," Baradell says.

3. Don’t overpromise.
"It’s worth investing the time with prospective clients to make sure they have reasonable expectations, rather than promising them the moon to get them to sign a contract. You’ll only disappoint them, and yourself, later."

4. Believe in what you do.
"We love helping clients define themselves for their customers, investors, the media and others," Baradell says. "So many companies have great ideas and great people; they just don’t know how to get the word out effectively in a market full of noise. When we help a client do that, we feel like Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady. If you don’t get a similar feeling, you may be at the wrong agency — or in the wrong profession."

5. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
"If you wanted to take your job that seriously, you should have become a journalist."

6. Stand up for what you know.
"When people of like abilities compete for the same goal, it is usually the confident one — not the ‘lucky’ one — who succeeds."

7. Learn what you don’t know.
"Opening your mind to the ideas of others isn’t an indication of weakness; it is a sign of intellectual growth," says Baradell. "Listening is learning."

8. Don’t talk badly about other people.
"Talking badly about others is a quick-fix way to feel better about yourself; the more lasting way is through your own hard work," Baradell explains. "When you find yourself going ad hominem, think of your mind as being equipped with a pop-up blocker — and flick those negative thoughts away."

About Scott Baradell
A lot of people claim to be media and marketing experts these days. Scott Baradell’s claims are backed by experience. As a Dallas marketing executive, he led the corporate communications departments of two Fortune 1000 companies. As an entrepreneur, he wrote the business plan for his own venture-backed startup. And as an online marketing consultant, he created a pioneering marketing blog that has been cited in books and has influenced some of the top bloggers on the scene today. Now, he brings his unique combination of old-school experience and online savvy to help you energize your company’s marketing efforts for today’s new era. Learn more at www.baradell.info or www.ideagrove.com.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/public_relations/happiness/prweb2981564.htm

SiriusDecisions Says 2010 is Year of Change for Inside Sales, Channels, Measurement and Reputation

Faced with ongoing economic turbulence, successful companies understand that more than ever, the key to not only surviving but thriving is planning ahead. To support that critical process, SiriusDecisions has released its analysts’ planning assumptions for 2010 – covering six important areas.

Wilton, CT (PRWEB) September 29, 2009 — If you enjoy changing weather conditions, singer Frankie Valli and plush hotels, The Four Seasons are a big part of your life. However, for corporate leaders, including those charged with driving optimum b-to-b sales and marketing, there’s an all-important "fifth" season: "planning" season.

SiriusDecisions notes that while some companies may have been focused on vacation planning, best-in-class sales and marketing organizations were already focusing on strategic "resource planning" to determine their best moves for 2010.

To support that effort, the global b-to-b sales and marketing research and advisory firm recently released five key planning assumptions for each of six major areas of focus: b-to-b sales, channel management, demand creation, marketing operations, product marketing, and reputation management.

"For b-to-b sales, productivity gains will be powered by readiness, inside sales and technology," notes SiriusDecisions’ Joe Galvin, vice president and head of its Sales Optimization Strategies (SOS) advisory service. "With 18 percent of revenue generation moving to inside sales and increased focus on channel and enterprise productivity, there’s no place to hide anymore."

Mr. Galvin notes that to drive a strategy of growth, sales and marketing must work more closely together than ever before to stay one step ahead of the new economy’s better-informed buyer. "More detailed metrics; significant investments in training and process-supported technology; and a strong emphasis on alignment and integration will all be major themes for organizations ready to embrace true transformation."

Channel management has emerged as a rapidly growing area of interest to SiriusDecisions clients. Notes Laz Gonzalez, research director and head of the firm’s Channel Management Strategies (CMS) advisory service: "In 2010 and beyond, we believe the overarching theme that must drive channel strategy is partner productivity, be it through improved delivery of leads; better communication; or increased enablement of individual partner reps. Partners want to work with suppliers who help them make money. Period."

In terms of specific assumptions, Mr. Gonzalez looks for such initiatives as the creation of a demand center to optimize partner demand creation; portal improvements; more emphasis on incentives to influence reseller behavior; and increased use of social media to impact partner adoption for channel initiatives.

For demand creation, proactive management of SiriusDecisions’ demand waterfall using high-quality data and integrated systems is a key 2010 theme. Advances in measurement, organizational structure and relationships between key functions will all drive incremental waterfall performance.

SiriusDecisions’ Vice President of Research, Tony Jaros, points out that despite the pain of 2009, organizations that had the right people, process and technology in place to drive systematic demand creation reminded competitors why they’ve earned their best-in-class reputations. "Our data indicates that best-in-class sales and marketing organizations will close more than 7 times the deals vs. their average counterparts." He adds: "Just because 2010 seems like it will be less rocky doesn’t get anyone off the demand creation hook; it’s time for everyone to redouble their efforts again – complacency is simply not an option."

In its role of navigator in the b-to-b marketing function, marketing operations’ ability to make sense of changing conditions and directions has never been more important.

"Marketing operations is definitely in the hot seat in 2010," says Megan Heuer, SiriusDecisions research director. "With limited resources and headcount, the function must stay focused on areas that will most benefit marketing as a whole: data, measurement, technology and process. ‘Marketing ops’ must manage the data foundation and technology roadmap needed to deliver more complex and targeted campaigns. Finally, it must deliver measurement and reporting that analyzes results and finds practices that work to incorporate insight into better processes that improve marketing’s ability to meet its goals."

For reputation management, Jonathan Block says it’s imperative that communication activities align more tightly with other marketing programs and campaign goals in 2010. He also notes the importance of growing a bond with sales, and that it’s time for social media to be fully integrated into other marketing deliverables.

Mr. Block, vice president and head of his firm’s Reputation Management Strategies (RMS) advisory service, further observes: "A key theme for the communications organization in 2010 is leverage. The ability of other marketing functions to leverage your activities and insights will do much to break the insular perceptions often directed at communications."

As for product marketing, John Neeson, the firm’s managing director and co-founder, says that 2010 offers an ideal opportunity for concrete steps to be taken to integrate its expertise across a wide range of marketing programs. "While marketing investment was challenging in 2009, the investment in solution marketing increased by 6 percent largely driven by the need for hypersegmentation and relevant go-to-market strategies. This trend continues in 2010," concludes Mr. Neeson.

For a more detailed look into SiriusDecisions’ "2010 playbook" for sales and marketing leaders, contact Tony Jaros at tjaros (at) siriusdecisions.com.

About SiriusDecisions:
SiriusDecisions is the world’s leading source for business-to-business sales and marketing best-practice research and data. SiriusDecisions Executive Advisory Services, Consulting Services, Benchmark Assessment Services, Learning and Events provide senior-level executives with the sales and marketing operational intelligence required to maximize top line growth and performance. The unique combination of thought leadership, benchmark data, analytic tools, best practices and access to a peer and analyst network allow SiriusDecisions clients to quickly receive the critical insight they need to make decisions effectively. For more information about SiriusDecisions, headquartered in Wilton, CT, visit: http://www.siriusdecisions.com.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/09/prweb2954904.htm

Get Closer to Your Customers this Holiday Season: ClearSaleing Launches Customer Behavior Module with Complete Purchase Path and Latency Analysis

This holiday season, consumer wallets will be tighter and competition for online purchases the toughest in history. How can an online retailer do the best job of closing sales? The answer is simple: by better understanding their customers through strategic behavioral data and analysis.

Columbus, OH (PRWEB) September 29, 2009 — This holiday season, consumer wallets will be tighter and competition for online purchases the toughest in history. How can an online retailer do the best job of closing sales? The answer is simple: by better understanding their customers through strategic behavioral data and analysis.

ClearSaleing, a technology and thought leader in attribution management and advertising analytics, today announced the release of its Customer Behavior Module, which provides deep strategic insight into online consumer shopping and purchase behavior. ClearSaleing is able to provide this strategic insight since it tracks the complete Purchase PathTM of the consumer, including Paths that result in an actual purchase, as well as abandoned Paths. In addition, ClearSaleing is able to track the entire life cycle of customers, from their very first click through their initial purchase through all subsequent purchases.

PhotoWorks Benefits from Customer Behavior Module
One company that has leveraged ClearSaleing’s powerful Customer Behavior Module is PhotoWorks, an American Greetings company. PhotoWorks identified 20 strategic questions related to their customers’ behaviors and used ClearSaleing’s Customer Behavior Module and rich data warehouse to help find answers to those questions.

"As the online marketing landscape becomes increasingly competitive, it’s more important than ever to focus on customer behavior and advertising insights," said American Greetings Vice President of Ecommerce Marketing, Dawn Wayt. "The data that ClearSaleing provides allows us to understand the influence of our marketing efforts on customer behavior and begin to allocate spend to the channels that generate the greatest return on investment. We can determine the value of different customers over their lifetime, which helps us spend more confidently."

Holiday Game Plan
In some situations, ClearSaleing data shows that holiday periods have a significant impact on consumer behaviors relative to average order size, purchase decision latency and repeat purchase frequency. "ClearSaleing gives us the in-depth knowledge we need about how our customers’ purchase behavior changes before, during, and after our busy holiday seasons. For our PhotoWorks site, this data has allowed us to determine which timeframes are best for acquiring new customers and how much we should invest to acquire them," said Wayt.

Holiday versus Non-Holiday
ClearSaleing’s Customer Behavior Module also offers marketers keen insights into the buying behavior of holiday versus non-holiday shoppers. The ability to segment holiday purchases from non-holiday purchases helps marketers more effectively plan for holiday traffic and set realistic expectations for what to anticipate when the holiday season ends. The reports show both sales volume and product detail, allowing marketers to understand whether holiday sales are volume-driven, or if higher priced goods are contributing more to ROI.

Lifetime Value
Another valuable insight that ClearSaleing’s Customer Behavior Module delivers is assessing the lifetime value of a customer from the first product they purchase. By understanding lifetime value, marketers can accurately set the CPA.

"Based on a customer’s lifetime value, it may be the correct decision to have a negative ROI on the initial purchase when acquiring a new customer," said Randy Smith, President of ClearSaleing. "Knowledge of the lifetime value of a customer gained through ClearSaleing’s Customer Behavior Module allows marketing executives to determine the appropriate investment allocation to acquire a new customer."

Wayt concurred. "As in many businesses, PhotoWorks’ customer purchase behavior varies by campaign, product purchased, and seasonality. With accurate reporting on these factors, we can shift our marketing mix to maximize our return on investment."

Returning Orders (Repeat Customers)
Repeat customers are many companies’ bread and butter. ClearSaleing provides a number of reports to enable online retailers to take a deeper look at customer behavior and design campaigns that will bring customers back and increase profit.

"Using ClearSaleing’s technology, PhotoWorks can view campaign performance well beyond customers’ initial purchases," noted Wayt. "This means that we can optimize campaigns based on ROI, return ratio, latency, seasonality, and lifetime value–all metrics that can help us manage and achieve our growth goals and secure a leadership position within the personal publishing space."

About American Greetings Corporation
For more than 100 years, American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM) has been a manufacturer and retailer of innovative social expression products that assist consumers in enhancing their relationships. The Company’s major greeting card brands are American Greetings, Carlton Cards, Gibson, Recycled Paper Greetings and Papyrus, and other paper product offerings include DesignWare party goods, American Greetings and Plus Mark gift-wrap and boxed cards. American Greetings also has the largest collection of electronic greetings on the Web, including cards available at AmericanGreetings.com through AG Interactive, Inc. (the Company’s online division). AG Interactive also offers digital photo sharing and personal publishing at PhotoWorks.com and Webshots.com and a one-stop source for online graphics and animations at Kiwee.com. In addition to its product lines, American Greetings also creates and licenses popular character brands through the American Greetings Properties group. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, American Greetings generates annual revenue of approximately $1.7 billion, and its products can be found in retail outlets domestically and worldwide. For more information on the Company, visit http://corporate.americangreetings.com.

About ClearSaleing
Named "Technology Platform Search Marketers Can’t Live Without" at the SES Awards, ClearSaleing’s advertising portfolio management platform helps marketers identify ways to more effectively and profitably allocate ad spend across a complex mix of online advertising investments.

ClearSaleing is a thought leader in the growing scientific field of attribution management and publishes www.AttributionManagement.com that provides a rich repository of ClearSaleing and externally published articles, white papers and other material focused exclusively on attribution management.

ClearSaleing’s unique ability to give marketers telescopic insight into their online ad investment is attracting major brand customers such as American Greetings and Nationwide Insurance. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. For more information, please visit www.ClearSaleing.com

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/americangreetings/clearsaleing/prweb2959344.htm

New Technology Helps People Get Leads Fast Through Twitter

Twittrafficpro.com is a new Web site tool that gets people followers faster on Twitter. The tool is powered by a team of social media experts. Twittrafficpro.com helps businesses, bloggers and individuals looking to brand themselves in the Digital Age use Twitter easily and effectively to get a large audience quickly, develop profitable relationships, build online clout and conduct real-time market research.

Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) September 29, 2009 — This new, powerful Web site tool for bloggers and businesses was launched on the first day of fall.

”Twittrafficpro.com is an inexpensive way to get the word out about your brand, get leads and connect with people of diverse backgrounds,” said Wandia Chiuri who was part of the project development team for Twittrafficpro.com.

Without costly ads, fancy design or professional copywriting, Twitter is transforming businesses by providing amazing exposure, tons of traffic, partnership opportunities and quality leads.

Businesses can start achieving success on social media in as little as 30 minutes. Chiuri and a team of social media specialists have spent two years developing Twittrafficpro.com to help businesses maximize their returns on the use of social media marketing tactics. 

”Twittrafficpro.com is a very simple tool,” Chiuri said. "We enable you to delegate finding Twitter followers so you can stay focused on connecting, managing your business and keeping up with all the important things that matter to you more."

Chiuri said, ”If you can type you can start benefiting from the tool today; all you have to do is register.”

”We target people to follow based on the key words you provide. By doing this businesses can tailor their products, brands, blogs or services to the right customers,” Chiuri said. 

"Our goal is to help customers use their time effectively and turn their social networking efforts into higher profits and increased publicity faster," she said. "Twittrafficpro.com was developed to help businesses gain industry exposure, network effortlessly and make a big splash on a fixed budget."

Current Twittrafficpro.com clients include Keep Planet Earth Green, Vfirefly and gogripe.com. 

New Jersey-based Gary Vaynerchuk used Twitter and other social media sites to take his business, Wine Library TV, to nearly $50 million in revenues. His success started on a shoe-string budget. Kogi Korean BBQ in Los Angeles was dabbed the latest trend in food on the go, tacos and Twitter. The owners have seen an explosive growth in their business.

With the unprecedented snowballing of Twitter and other social media channels, the old way of marketing and sales is changing rapidly. Twitter has over 10 million monthly visits and is growing exponentially.

Smart and strategic people are working efficiently and effectively to tap into this powerful trend to boost sales in these turbulent times of challenge and change. They are learning to use social media as a tool to compete better in the market place. Twittrafficpro.com helps businesses get local, national or international leads.

For more information, visit www.twittrafficpro.com.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/twitterfollowing/twitterforbusiness/prweb2949244.htm

Visitors to Unicahome.com Find More and Spend More with Site Search from SLI Systems

Home furnishings retailer sees increase in sales generated from E-commerce Site Search

Cupertino, CA (PRWEB) September 28, 2009 — When site search is fast, accurate, and easy to use, it becomes a key contributor to e-commerce success. Unicahome.com, an online retailer of home furnishings and design products, is a perfect example of the value of search: since implementing Learning Search from SLI Systems earlier this year, orders generated from search now make up 40 percent of the company’s online sales.

Before bringing in Learning Search, Unicahome.com, with more than 52,000 products on its website, presented a challenge for online shoppers seeking just the right teakettle or sofa. And since the site specializes in designer brands whose names can be complex, site visitors needed to know exactly how to spell the names in order to search successfully.

Once Unicahome.com chose SLI’s Learning Search, the process of sifting through tens of thousands of product choices became faster, easier, and more productive, explained Nick Paladeni, who oversees the company’s website and ecommerce operations.

"Not only is it much easier for our customers to find popular items like our Alessi housewares, but our own employees can now help customers find what they’re looking for or suggest similar products," Paladeni said. "SLI Systems’ site search has helped us improve our service to customers, whether they’re shopping online, over the phone, or in our showroom in Las Vegas."

Before implementing site search from SLI Systems, Unicahome was using Google Search to provide limited search capabilities for the ecommerce site. "We were only able to use broad categories for searching," said Paladeni. "For instance, customers could search for furniture, lighting, or housewares, but could not drill down by searching by brand name or by a specific item name. Our products were getting buried in search, because no one could find them."

Customers who didn’t spell a brand name correctly, or who didn’t describe a product accurately, would simply receive an error message. "Even our employees, who know the stock, had trouble finding products," Paladeni said. "It got to the point where people were discouraged from using search. We had simply outgrown the search technology we had."

When a site redesign was launched at the end of 2008, Paladeni chose Learning Search for the site’s new search solution, after taking advantage of SLI Systems’ 30-day free trial. At the same time, Unicahome.com also implemented Site Champion, SLI Systems’ automated user-generated search engine optimization (SEO) solution.

Since implementing Learning Search, Paladeni and his team have seen an increase in orders generated by searches – such orders now comprise 40 percent of all purchases on the site. In addition, customers who use the site search spend on average twice as much per order as people who don’t search. Nearly all orders for high-ticket items such as sofas, and for multiple items, are driven by search – an indication that customers are finding the search feature more user-friendly, Paladeni said.

"We’ve also found it useful at times to be able to manually adjust the order of search results to highlight certain merchandise – something we were not able to do with our old site search solution," Paladeni said. "For example, we know that people who are searching for a teakettle are often looking for the Michael Graves model, and we can edit the search results so that this specific item shows up at the top of the results."

The insights into customers’ search behavior that Learning Search provides also helps Paladeni and his colleagues add products that customers search for that aren’t already in Unicahome.com’s inventory. "For instance, using Learning Search, we’ve found that site visitors are looking for wall art – something that we didn’t carry in the past," Paladeni says. "However, we work with vendors that carry it, so we may offer these products to meet demand from our customers."

SLI Systems is offering a webinar titled "Search and They Shall Buy – The Anatomy of a Great Ecommerce Site Search," which discusses current trends in site search and how retailers can leverage new features to generate better returns from their e-commerce site search. Anyone interested in seeing the webinar can view it by visiting http://bit.ly/ncMqs.

About SLI Systems
SLI Systems is the developer of learning-based search and navigation technology for corporate Internet sites, e-commerce destinations and consumer Internet portals that Searches, Learns and Improves the user experience. SLI Systems’ hosted site search and user-generated SEO solutions empower businesses to enhance customer satisfaction while increasing sales, reducing costs and yielding valuable customer information. Unlike traditional search software, SLI Systems’ patented technology continuously "learns" from the behavior of visitors over time to deliver more relevant results. SLI Systems is a privately held company, with offices in Silicon Valley, London, and Christchurch, New Zealand. For more information, visit www.sli-systems.com, or see the company’s blog at http://blog.sli-systems.com/.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/09/prweb2954194.htm

Mingleverse Delivers First Live Social Communications Service Taking on Cisco, Polycom and Skype in $4 Billion Market

Mingleverse’s MingleRoom service is a high-quality 3D voice, audio and visual environment rich with media-sharing features and is easily accessed through a web-browser. With the ability to host from 2 to 50 people in your MingleRoom and the integrated admission system, Mingleverse opens hundreds of new revenue generating opportunities. It is simple to use, is offered for free to ultra low cost, and feels and sounds as real as being there. Learn more at www.mingleverse.com.

Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) September 28, 2009 — Mingleverse Laboratories Inc. today unveiled its Mingleverse MingleRoom communications service for public preview.

"Today marks the beginning of the new era of live social communications, said Ron Stevens, co-founder. "MingleRooms were developed to replace old-fashioned and disjointed telecom services and legally-embroiled Skype with a service that scales and lets socially connected people mingle live from almost anywhere for any reason. And even get paid for it," he said.

Based on innovative 3D voice and immersive visual web technology, the Mingleverse MingleRoom service allows up to 50 people to meetup and mingle instantly in a secure and interactive online environment that feels as real as being there.

"World of mouth marketing has arrived and is opening up 100s of new live communications business models, giving you the opportunity to earn money online. Imagine that, a communication service that pays you back!" Stevens said. "You can mingle with friends for free or engage a paying worldwide audience. This is going to change the way we engage in online teaching, online learning, online training, and online events. Bring your voice, your talent and your events to people anywhere instantly."

MingleRoom hosts can allow free admission to their online events, or they can charge admission using Mingleverse’s exclusive Mingle Ticket system. Fully integrated into the Mingleverse platform, Mingle Ticket initiates and handles all transactions between participants and hosts. Leveraging PayPal’s™ worldwide payment processing network, the Mingle Ticket system ensures hosts get paid directly and instantly by participants and only paid participants can access the event.

"We’ve all heard about ’social networking’," said Stevens, "but sending short text messages to someone is nothing like meeting with them in person. Mingleverse is about live social communications, the ability to meetup and engage with real people in real-time rather than with clunky software and old-fashioned telephony."

"The key features of the Mingleverse platform are the business model, realism and quality of the audio spaces that people mingle in – people communicate with their own voice and are positioned in the Mingle Room in three-dimensions," said Co-Founder Len Layton. "This represents a revolution for events, group collaboration, sales, meet ups and in teaching and training, where existing ‘webinar’ platforms fall woefully short."

"MingleRooms run within the browser, giving hosts the capability to instantly mingle with audiences and customers from all over the world and embed incredible live Mingle Rooms right into their existing web sites," Layton said.

"Old-fashioned voice telecommunication systems are less important to our digital lives; the Mingleverse platform represents a fully integrated approach: one click in a web browser and you are ‘teleported’ into an immersive experience unlike any other. Audio/visual mingling spaces are the next wave of telecommunications: no other system combines this level of privacy with secure high quality voice and collaboration services with an engaging sense of being in the same room as other people," said Professor Sidney Fels, Director, Media and Graphics Interdisciplinary Centre at the University of British Columbia.

"Once they try Mingleverse, many people will look very closely at whether they need to get on a plane – or even if they need to go across town," Fels said.

First-generation MingleRooms scale from 2 or 50 guests, with direct support for synchronized, collaborative 3D viewing of presentations, slide shows, documents, and both live and hosted video such as YouTube™. This enables hosts to project a live experience to room guests like being the on the big screen in a packed movie theatre.

Security and privacy have been paramount in the design of the Mingle Room service from the beginning, with all voice communication secured by Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cryptography from end-to-end.

With a combination of over 25 extensive proprietary voice, audio, visual, technologies with extensive collaboration and social network integration, Mingleverse’s MingleRoom service opens new business opportunities, challenges the need for travel and replaces a raft of disconnected systems with a single integrated approach.

"Mingleverse’s MingleRoom service is very inexpensive, with basic service free for everyone and full service MingleRooms free for all guests and only $9 per month for unlimited use for MingleRoom hosts," Stevens said. Try it now for free for your next webinar, meeting, meetup or online event.

About Mingleverse
Mingleverse Laboratories is the developer of the revolutionary MingleRoom social communication service launched in September 2009. The company is a privately held and is securely hosted in British Columbia, Canada. Please visit Mingleverse.com.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/social/communications/prweb2940474.htm

SES Chicago to Feature Two Days of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Training

Search Engine Strategies Chicago training, taking place on Thursday, December 10, and Friday, December 11, will be led by renowned industry experts

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) September 28, 2009 — Search Engine Strategies (SES) Chicago 2009 will feature search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO) training on Thursday, December 10, and Friday, December 11, the last two days of SES Chicago, scheduled for December 7-11. These training sessions will include both full- and half-day workshops and feature instruction from some of the most experienced practitioners in the industry.

Discount registration for SES Chicago is available through November 20. The agenda for the conference can be found at: Thursday, December 10, Half-Day Workshops

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Workshop, taught by Shari Thurow of Omni Marketing Interactive, will cover the importance of a search engine friendly website that converts visitors into buyers. Attendees will learn how their site can satisfy the terms and conditions of the major search engines and, at the same time, satisfy the needs of site visitors.

Landing Page Testing Hands On: Developing Your Action Plan, taught by Tim Ash of SiteTuners, is a crash course in landing page optimization and testing, and allows attendees to develop a personal action plan tailored to their specific business.

Advanced Keyword Research, taught by Ron Jones of Symetri Internet Marketing, will instruct attendees on the tools available for finding the right keywords for a given SEO or PPC campaign.

Social Media and Your Business, taught by SageRock’s Sage Lewis, will cover how to use social media to effectively market a business and/or product. Attendees will learn how to go beyond the superficial level of social media and use it as a powerful marketing tool.

Friday, December 11, Partnered Training Full-Day Workshop

Bruce Clay SEO Training — In this sponsored session, industry recognized SEO expert Bruce Clay will teach a full day’s worth of material, targeting technical and marketing staff alike. The session will offer strategy and tactics necessary in the modern search world. Attendees will learn how to change and update their sites without using the techniques that can get a business in trouble. White hat SEO methods are the focus.

Market Motive online certification courses

For those interested in SEO and SEM online training, SES has a partnership with Market Motive who offers search marketing certification courses. These streaming video tutorials are available 24/7 and include weekly phone conferences with instructors. Market Motive’s certification training includes courses in SEO, PPC, web analytics, social media marketing, mobile marketing, email marketing, online PR and landing page conversion.

For more information about SES Chicago and to register for the conference, visit: http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/chicago/registration-details.html. The advanced rate is available through November 20.

About SES

Incisive Media’s Search Engine Strategies is a leading global conference and training series focused on search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Other Incisive resources for interactive marketers include the ClickZ network for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research and Search Engine Watch which provides news and information about search, analysis of the search engine industry and tools for improving search marketing effectiveness.

Incisive Media is a leading global provider of specialized business news and information, in print, in person and online. The company’s principal markets include financial services, legal services, commercial real estate, marketing services and risk management. Incisive Media’s market-leading brands include Accountancy Age, Computing, Investment Week, Legal Week, Post, Risk, and Search Engine Strategies. For more information, visit http://www.incisivemedia.com.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/09/prweb2952794.htm

Search Marketing Expo – SMX East Announces Free Educational Presentations Open to All Attendees

Bing, Yahoo!, Marin Software, Bruce Clay and Acquisio are among the 30 internet and search marketing solution providers participating in SMX East, October 5-7 at the Javits Center in New York City, free pre-registration available online

Redding, CT (PRWEB) September 25, 2009 – More than 30 leading internet and search marketing solution providers will present educational sessions at Search Marketing Expo – SMX East, being held at the Javits Center in New York City October 5-7. Admission is free for those who pre-register at http://searchmarketingexpo.com/east/2009/register.

Companies conducting sessions in the SMX Theater include Bing, Yahoo!, Marin Software, Bruce Clay, Inc., and Acquisio. These sessions and more than 20 others are free to all SMX East attendees who pre-register for the event. Tickets at the door are $50. The schedule is below or can be viewed at http://searchmarketingexpo.com/east/2009/theater .

Nearly 50 businesses, media outlets and organizations representing a wide range of specialties within the search marketing industry will be participating in SMX East. See the full list of sponsors, partners and exhibitors at http://searchmarketingexpo.com/east/2009/exhibitors .

In addition, conference Premier Sponsor Bing will present a workshop entitled "Bing: What’s Happening", on Monday, October 5 at 1:45pm. In this workshop, Bing executives will demonstrate the features that help users overcome search overload and make faster, more informed decisions. "Bing: What’s Happening" will be held in room A103 and is free to all SMX attendees.

Expo Hall hours are Monday, October 5 from noon until 7pm and Tuesday, October 6 from 10am to 6pm.

Register for SMX East
Here is a summary of ticket options for SMX East:
- All Access Pass: Provides access to all 60 conference sessions, keynote presentations and discussions, Expo Hall, SMX Theater, networking events and meals. Price is $1395 until October 4 and $1595 on site. One day passes are also available for $795 until October 4 and $845 on site.
- Networking Pass: Provides unlimited access to the Expo Hall, sponsored sessions, SMX Theater presentations, networking events and meals. Price is $499 to October 4 and $549 on site.
- Expo Pass: Provides unlimited access to the Expo Hall, Bing workshop and SMX Theater presentations. Free until October 4 and $50 on site.
Visit http://searchmarketingexpo.com/east/2009/register to register.

Monday, October 5 – SMX Theater Schedule
These presentations take place in the SMX Theater, located in the Expo Hall. Comprehensive descriptions can be viewed at http://searchmarketingexpo.com/east/2009/theater .

12:20 pm – 12:40 pm – Yahoo!
12:40 pm – 1:00 pm – Bruce Clay, Inc.
1:00 pm – 1:20 pm – Bing
1:20 pm – 1:40 pm – 15miles
1:40 pm – 2:00 pm – SearchIgnite
2:00 pm – 2:20 pm – ClickEquations
2:20 pm – 2:40 pm – Onward Search
2:40 pm – 3:00 pm – Acquisio
3:00 pm – 3:20 pm – Marin Software
3:20 pm – 3:40 pm – Performics
3:40 pm – 4:00 pm – Mongoose Metrics
4:00 pm – 4:20 pm – AT&T Interactive
4:20 pm – 4:40 pm – eSearchVision
4:40 pm – 5:00 pm – Trellian
6:00 pm – 6:20 pm – Clix Marketing
6:20 pm – 6:40 pm – Moniker

Tuesday, October 6 – SMX Theater Schedule

10:20 pm – 10:40 am – Pear Analytics
10:40 am – 11:00 am – Brafton Custom News
11:00 am – 11:20 am – eZanga.com
11:20 am – 11:40 am – iContact
11:40 am – 12:00 pm – SearchDNA
12:00 pm – 12:20 pm – eDirectory
12:20 pm – 12:40 pm – TechNdu
12:40 pm – 1:00 pm – MediaWhiz
1:00 pm – 1:20 pm – Blogsvertise
1:20 pm – 1:40 pm – Placelinks
1:40 pm – 2:00 pm – Compete
2:00 pm – 2:20 pm – PRWeb
2:20 pm – 2:40 pm – NVI

About Search Marketing Expo – SMX East and Third Door Media
SMX East features sessions just for you, whether you are just starting out in search or looking for advanced level tactics, work on an in-house SEM team, hail from an agency or own your own business. See the complete agenda at Search Engine Land. SMX East will feature more than 60 conference sessions for search marketers. See the complete agenda at Third Door Media, Inc. Third Door Media’s mission is to empower internet and search marketing professionals by providing trusted content and community services they need to be successful. Search Marketing Expo conferences are held around the world and include: SMX West (Santa Clara, CA), SMX East (New York City), SMX Advanced (Seattle, WA), SMX London, SMX Munich, SMX Sydney, SMX Stockholm and SMX Mexico.

Third Door Media also produces Search Marketing Now, a lead-generation marketing solution for suppliers of SEM-related products and services, and operates Sphinn.com, a social news site that allows search and internet marketers to share news stories, participate in subject-specific discussion forums, and build their professional networks.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/smxeast/workshops/prweb2938434.htm

PPC Negative Keywords: Maximizing the Positive Effect – Educational Webcast at Search Marketing Now

PPC expert Ken Jurina will provide a complete overview of negative keywords and how advertisers can maximize their effectiveness in a PPC advertising campaign

Redding, CT (PRWEB) September 25, 2009 — On Tuesday, October 13 at 1 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Search Marketing Now presents "PPC Negative Keywords: Maximizing the Positive Effect." This educational webcast is free and is sponsored by Marin Software.

While most online marketers are diligent in creating a keyword list for SEO or for paid search campaigns, many overlook the power of negative keywords. Negative keywords are those terms for which you don’t want your ads to appear in search engine results. When used correctly, negative keywords can filter out useless clicks and impressions, reducing overall costs and increasing the ROI of a paid search campaign.

This webcast looks at negative keywords — what they are, why they are important, and how you can build a list of negative keywords that will help reduce costs and increase your Quality Score. Ken Jurina, a leading authority on negative keywords, will provide an overview as well as case studies demonstrating companies saving up to 40% on PPC spend via the use of a maximized negative keywords list in their PPC campaign strategy.

Registration is open and more information is available at http://searchmarketingnow.com

Ken Jurina is CEO of Epiar, Inc., an internet marketing firm in Edmonton, Canada. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and is an active member in SEMPO.org.

This webcast is sponsored by Marin Software. Founded in April 2006 by experienced search marketers and software experts, Marin Software provides a browser-based, enterprise-class paid search management application for advertisers and agencies. Marin Search Marketer® addresses the workflow, analysis, and optimization needs of advertisers and agencies, saving time and improving financial performance for large-scale SEM campaigns. Marin is designed for those who are spending at least $100,000 monthly on paid search. Marin’s over 130 customers collectively manage in excess of $500 million of annual search spend via Marin’s application. Customers include University of Phoenix, Neo@Ogilvy, Razorfish, Reply!, and ZipRealty.

About Search Marketing Now and Third Door Media:
Search Marketing Now webcasts are produced by Third Door Media, Inc. Third Door Media’s mission is to empower interactive and search marketing professionals by providing trusted content and community services they need to be successful.

Third Door Media produces the conference series Search Marketing Expo – SMX, which includes SMX East, SMX West, SMX Advanced and other SMX conferences. Third Door Media also publishes the search marketing news and analysis site Search Engine Land and Sphinn.com, the place for web, online, search, interactive and internet marketers to share news stories, talk within subject-specific discussion forums, build a network and stay connected to hot topics in internet marketing.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/PPC/Negative_Keywords/prweb2943564.htm